Pre-College Geoscience Researchers Recognized at Intel ISEF 2017

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The American Geosciences Institute was pleased to recognize three outstanding projects by pre-college students at this year's Intel International Science & Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) on May 19, 2017, in Los Angeles, Calif. This year's award recipients showcased a broad range of exciting geoscience topics including geothermal vents, paleontology, soil contamination, and volcanic eruptions. In support of Intel ISEF, AGI sponsors a first place award of $1,250; a second award of $1000; and a third award of $500.

Jean-Baptiste Flieller and Elias Suvanto of Gymnase Jean Sturm in Strasbourg, France, won the first place prize for their project, "Study and Modeling of Pressure and Temperature during a Geyser Eruption," which examined the rapid environmental changes that occur inside of a geyser during an eruption.

"I have always liked understanding how things work. When I first saw a video of a geyser erupting, I wanted to know more about it," said Flieller. He and Suvanto devised an experimental setup of a geyser, and built mathematical models which allowed them "to understand and predict their eruptive behavior more and more exactly."

Both Flieller and Suvanto were thrilled to receive this recognition, and Flieller recalled their shared reaction: "The day of the special award ceremony, we were late (due to our buses) and at the moment we walked inside the room, we saw the symbol of AGI on the screen and our name. It was just magic."

Mathematically Cutting to the Bone: Solving Analytical Problems in ESR Dating the Paleolithic Site at Isimila, TanzaniaNeeraj Sakhrani, Bronx High School of Science, NY, United States of America

Third Award (Tie)

Arsenic Contamination through Tsunami Wave Movement in Hawaii: Investigating the Concentration of Heavy Metals in the Soil from the 1960 Hilo, Hawaii TsunamiJared Goodwin, Hilo High School, HI, United States of America

Bamboo Forest as a Natural Levee of Pyroclastic Flows in Merapi VolcanoAzizah Dewi Suryaningsih, State Senior High School 1 Yogyakarta, Indonesia

For more information on the AGI awards presented at Intel ISEF, visit bit.ly/AGI-ISEF or contact:

The American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.

AGI represents and serves the geoscience community by providing collaborative leadership and information to connect Earth, science, and people.